Saturday, February 11, 2012

ArtCloth from UtopiaAustralian Aboriginal ArtCloth

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

IntroductionWhen I read Sir Thomas More's (also known as Saint Thomas More) – Utopia – in the 1960s, I felt he strove for the intersection between fact and fantasy (that later became the hallmark of science fiction writers and more recently of espionage writers such as Frederick Forsyth). More’s Utopia tried to reform the human spirit in an age and place where religiosity was driven towards the mundane (e.g. Henry VIII dumped the Roman Catholic Church in order to divorce Catherine of Aragon, and More in 1535 refusing to take an oath impugning the pope’s authority was then beheaded).

Illustration For The 1516 First Edition Of Utopia.

An area that is 230 kilometers North-East of Alice Springs (Australia) is also called Utopia. The area was named Utopia by early pastoralists in the 1920s since rabbits there were so numerous and tame that they could be caught by hand. Utopia's Indigenous place names — Alhalpere, Rreltye, Thelye, Atarrkete and Ingutanka — are also the particular names of families who are custodians for these aboriginal “counties”. There are approximately 880 to 1000 people who live in some 16 small camps dotted across an area of 2000 square kilometers. The community is structured on extended family groups whose camps are generally centered on their clan lands. There are about 120 working artists in the community.

Geographical position of the Utopia region (Australia).

In 2007 the then Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, in response to child sexual abuse and neglect of Northern Territorial Aboriginals, legislated in law - The Northern Territory National Emergency Response (also referred to as "the intervention"). The response has been severely criticized by aboriginal and non-aboriginal groups but has received bipartisan parliamentary support. The current Prime Minister, Julia Gillard continues to support the response, though her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, did make some adjustments to its implementation.

One of the measures that the current government agencies are actively pursuing is to remove these disperse camps and settlements into a more concentrated “village” society, where resources (such as health, education, social services etc.) can be more easily administrated and delivered. The “Utopian” aboriginals are currently resisting this move, since they consider their immediate connection to their land and its intimate features are more spiritually important than a “white” notion of a village society.

No matter what the reason behind Utopia's original naming, it was nevertheless aptly named; the aboriginal artists spread throughout this region are undergoing a reaffirmation of their kindred spirit via their new found art media and in doing so, they are (in keeping with More's vision) arriving at the intersection of their earthly/geographical reality and their non-earthly/indigenous spirituality.

Utopian Aboriginal ArtClothUtopia was the name of a pastoral lease taken out on the area in 1927. This lease resulted in the traditional areas being depopulated as local aboriginal people moved to homestead encampments to find work. In 1977, the Aboriginal Land Fund Commission acquired the lease on behalf of the Utopia community and in 1979 the land was returned to them under inalienable freehold title.

In 1977 a batik program was started in Utopia as a source of income for the women. The majority of the artists creating these batik designs were women painting Dreamtime stories of bush tucker and women’s ceremonies. In the preparation for the land claim this direct connection between art and land helped to provide the supportive evidence needed for the Utopia community to lodge their successful land-rights claim. Throughout the hearings the women of Utopia displayed their batiks to demonstrate the economic viability of the outstations, and also as an expression of their Dreaming rights and responsibilities to the country.

The National Gallery of Victoria has the largest collection of Aboriginal ArtCloth in Australia. Below are examples of the Batik ArtCloth of the women artists of Utopia.

No comments:

2018 CrossXpollinatioN Exhibition - Journey's

Marie-Therese has been invited to be a 'Feature Artist' at the '2018 CrossXpollinatioN' exhibition which is themed 'Journey's'. Her ArtCloth Installation 'Timelines: An Environmental Journey' will be exhibited at the Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre, Colac, Victoria from the 7th - 29th July 2018. The installation will feature works employing her signature MultiSperse Dye Sublimation (MSDS) technique on synthetic fibres.Click on the image to see how the Gondwana II was created.

Art Quill Studio @ Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair.

2018 Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, from the 20th – 24th June.Art Quill Studio can be found at stand no. G29_LP1 where my unique and contemporary hand dyed, hand painted and hand printed ArtCloth fabric lengths, fat quarters, fabric samplers and scarves will be available as well as my one-off/limited edition digitally designed ArtCloth fabric lengths.Click on the image to view some of my fabric lengths and the techniques used to make them.

I have uploaded a new Glossary on my blogspot.The Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms is highly focused, containing definitions and terms pertinent to the specific categories in the title. Click on the image to access it!

MEMORIESWoven Heritage Exhibition

Marie-Therese's ArtCloth print, 'Memories' is included in the Zayed University Permanent Collection Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Click on the image to read about Marie-Therese's artwork/technique which was previously exhibited at a solo exhibition at Sydney's Eden Garden Gallery.

About Me

I work full time as a studio artist, researcher, author, curator, speaker and tutor. I am also the Director of Art Quill Studio, The Education Division of Art Quill & Co. Pty. Ltd. at Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia. I teach as a casual lecturer at The University of Newcastle (Australia) and I am the former co-editor of Textile Fibre Forum art magazine.

Employing my signature techniques I specialize in the area of ArtCloth, artist printmaker books and limited edition prints.

Followers

My Most Visited Posts"When Rainforests Ruled" - ArtCloth Exhibition

My Scarves @ The Australian Craft Awards

My unique, hand dyed and printed silk rayon velvet and pashmina scarves are available for purchase. To purchase a scarf please contact - studio@artquill.com.au.Click on the image above to see my velvet ArtCloth scarves.

Welcome to Art Quill Studio

Art Quill Studio is a trademark of Art Quill & Co P/L, which is an Australian Company with no subsidiaries outside of Australia.

This blog will be dedicated to arousing world wide interest in: (a) using the medium of cloth to create a work of art; (b) promoting works on paper; (c) exploring concepts that are the basis of my current artworks; (d) offering opinions on art issues; (e) providing art resources to the public at large.